UPDATE: Some consensus has been reached and the results of that are reflected on other pages like DistributionProcedure. I am now reviewing this page to refactor it and highlight any open items or issues.

What I Don't Know

I will add the list of information Linc collects in the asset management system to make a form that can be used to collect that information "by hand" when / if necessary.

<stopped refactoring here, pending collecting additional information from my email and results of the work party tonight>

Some questions are listed or implied above, including:

What information do we collect when we assign a serial number to each computer system?

Is it intended that the recipients be "tested" by having them connect the computer system and powering it up?

If we create additional systems with serial numbers, what information do we collect? In general mfr, model, and serial number of the CRT and system box. (I guess if I found Linc's sample database page on the website I could use that to answer the question -- so what is the URL for that page?) Manufacturer of mouse and keyboard?

Will any of the families on the first Saturday speak Spanish (only)? (Then who is our Spanish speaking volunteer?)

Problems to be Addressed

(other than those already listed or implied above)

Safety hazards in the distribution room: That room is not safe for children, and certainly not for large quantities of children.

I don't remember if it was a local school district or some other school district, but sometime in the last 30 years, at least one child has been killed or seriously injured while moving one of those mobile VCR / TV carts. We can't let the children play around in that stacked equipment, or near the junk pile near the door.

Also, if we keep those families out of the room, but, for example, waiting in the hall as we take them into the room 1, 2, 3 or 4 at a time, we need to be careful of creating a disturbance in the church, especially for the chess club which meets in a nearby room (starting perhaps around noon??).

I think:

we need to take steps to get that junk pile out of there before Saturday (and, in the future, part out each computer, then reclose the case and stack it neatly and carefully, especially if we are not going to clean the junk out of the room before each distribution session) Maybe the junk can/should be moved to fifth street until we accumulate 1000 pounds. (My understanding is implied there -- we will accumulate junk until we get a minimum of 1000 pounds and then somebody will pay CFK some nominal amount per pound for "salvage".)

When we get the junk out of there, I think we should also take the following to fifth street:

all the printers (after all, we don't plan on distributing those in the near future, do we?)

all speakers except say 5 or 6 sets for use during system assembly/test (BTW, I assume we are not distributing speakers, either, so we should perhaps mention this and possibly make a recommendation (like any speakers intended for a computer system should work -- some are unpowered, some need batteries, and some plug into the "mains")

the Windows licenses

anything else we can identify that is not for test or distribution in the near future

If we can agree on moving the stuff listed above, perhaps we can have a "work party" to move it this week, (with a volunteer with a pickup truck or something similar) -- AFAIC, it could even be Wednesday night during the "walkthrough".

before the families leave the orientation session they should be warned of conditions at the distribution center and given appropriate instructions (which might be: wait in the hallway quietly with your children until you are escorted into the room a few families at a time (first come, first served) -- once in the room keep your children with you and away from any stacks of equipment -- no running or playing -- outside the room keep the noise down to avoid disturbing others in the church, etc, etc.) They should be warned that the room has many hazards, for children and adults.

somebody (i.e., either at the orientation session or the distribution center) should advise the families to obtain a surge protector for the equipment, teach them to recognize (or at least know their is a) difference between a surge protector and a power strip without a surge protector

there was discussion (yesterday) about what modem to recommend, and whether to recommend telephone or broadband (BTW, Randy Plessor advised that the lawyer no longer had a problem with us distributing a modem with the machine, apparently he was under the impression we might somehow be an ISP -- since we aren't, they don't have a problem (that leaves some questions unanswered in my mind that I may bring up later). I will start a separate page to start discussion of modem recommendations -- I think we should be more flexible than simply recommending that they get an external modem.